how to get a little more done each day by eliminating productivity dead zones

Have you ever felt "there is just not enough time in the day?" 

 Maybe a better question is whether anyone has not! 

Today's tip will help you get a little more work done in the time you have. 

The tip is based on a study by Tonietto et al. (2019) showing that when people have open time within an hour of a scheduled event, such as a meeting, their pace of work slows down. ( "Open time" means that no specific work was planned for that hour.) The authors recorded the number of tasks performed, and study participants did fewer tasks—that is, were less productive—than in hours that ended with no such event. The authors call these scheduled events "boundary events." 

What is a boundary event? Anything you have scheduled on your calendar or plan to do at a specific time, such as meetings, time blocks to do specific work, or even the time you plan to stop working for the day. We can think of these pre-event hours as "productivity dead zones." 

The exact reason for this phenomenon is unknown, but the authors speculate that it is because the perception of time differed before a scheduled event. In other words, the pre-event hour was perceived to be shorter, hence not enough time to do anything. Jude King has a good summary of the findings here.

This may be why we sometimes think, "I don't have the time," to start a new task, even though that task could normally be done in the time we have before the event boundary.

I wondered if this was true for me, so I started paying attention to my own pre-boundary event behavior. Sure enough, during that time, I typically did not take up new tasks—not just "big" tasks but also tiny ones. 

So, I set a goal of using that time more productively. I discovered that I could get quite a bit done. For example, last week, I was half an hour away from leaving home for an appointment. Instead of frittering that time away, I completed three tasks from my "do today" list. One of these, I had estimated would take an hour! 

If you determine that you have this tendency, what can you do?

Here are two options, each a variation on the theme "be prepared."  

The study was of how people behave in the hour before the event, an "open hour," i.e., when they have nothing planned.

The first option is to schedule your tasks in your calendar in advance.  

That approach does not work for everyone, and the alternative of having a list of priority tasks that you can draw from can work just as well. 

FAQ 

But what if I work through the boundary and am late? 

Excellent question! 

If you find that is an issue, set a timer to let you know it is time to move on. Set it at least 5 minutes before you need to switch so you can take a breath. 

 Which leads to the next question. 

 Are you telling me that I must fill every minute of my working day with work? 

 An even more excellent question!!

No, absolutely not. In fact, you could choose to use the time to do something that is relaxing or - heaven forbid - fun. The idea is to make conscious decisions about how to spend your time rather than let your unconscious mind take control. 

What should I do if I can't finish a task that you have started? 

This happens all the time! You plan to finish something in an hour, but don't. You get interrupted. You are bored. 

The solution is another tip: "Leave breadcrumbs" in the form of a written note reminding you where you left off and what to do next. 

To take action:  

Start your work day every day with a set of tasks you would like to complete.

Pay attention to your task behavior in pre-boundary event hours.  

When you are in such an hour, push yourselft to start a task from your list.

Set a timer as needed to avoid being late for the event.

Try the "do it tomorrow" method - it's not about procrastinating!

In the Evernote app, when you add a reminder date to a note, the app assigns tomorrow's date by default. I use Evernote everyday, and one day I realized that I felt relived seeing that "tomorrow" date.

The relief was realizing that I had a chance to complete my list for today.

This feature is consistent with advice from productivity expert Mark Forster in his book Do It Tomorrow: when a new task appears during the work day, add it to a list "to do tomorrow."

You may be thinking, but what happened to "do it now"?

It's still a thing!

But it should not be used at the expense of the tasks you have planned to do today, unless there is a convincing reason to do it today!

The science behind do it tomorrow.

The Do It Tomorrow method helps combats the "mere urgency" cognitive bias, which says that your brain interprets any new task as urgent, even thought you really know it is not.

By having a plan to automatically add new tasks that are not truly urgent to the tomorrow list you are honoring the urgency you feel in the moment - and as you will be putting it on the list in a place you can see it, you can always change your mind.

How to use the do it tomorrow technique.

Start with making a task plan for today - you can read about that here
Then, when a new task pops up during the work day, ask yourself if it can be safely deferred to later. If it can, add it the "do it tomorrow." If you finish today's tasks early, you have my permission to work ahead!

Here is a model of a paper daily task plan you can use to design your own on paper or in a task app:
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Note: The Do it Tomorrow list does not literally mean you will do it tomorrow!

Instead, it give yous a cooling off period to more realistically assess the items actual priority, and from that, when it really should be done.

That's it. Give it a try.

A weekly review and plan starter kit

 

"It is surprising how much I can get done when I take enough time for planning, and it is perfectly amazing how little I get done without it."   ---Frank Bettger,  How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling,"  1947

Every productivity expert I know recommends spending time planning the coming week.

Yet few people do it.

Why?   "Time."

Even the tiny amount of time required for a basic review, half an hour or so, seems like "too much" when you think you could be doing real work.

But there is a BIG payoff.  

You have more things to do than you can do in the next week.

Making a plan helps you choose the right work to fit the available time.   

Having personally experienced the tremendous benefits of this process, I want you have those too.

As with most new habits and routines, starting simply is key.  

So here is a simple "stripped down" weekly review and planning process that I hope you will be inspired to try,


Get a sheet of paper and at the top, write "review & plan for week of <date>."

Open up your calendar in week view.




Look at each scheduled event for each day, and ask, "Do I need to do anything to prepare for this?

If there is, add it to your sheet of paper. 

For example, from my review this week: "Find directions to the room at the hospital for the Tuesday presentation, and copy my slides to a thumb drive to take as backup."

When you are done with Monday - you guessed it! - look at Tuesday and on through the week.

Now look at the next 3 weeks (or farther out if you like),

Scan for upcoming deadlines, big meetings, or other events that you should start preparing for in the coming week.

If there is, add it to your sheet of paper.

For example, several years ago, I found a trip scheduled for two weeks hence and discovered that I had no plane tickets.


Gather all the places where you store "to do's."



The "places" could include task lists, a whiteboard, a notebook or legal pad, a bunch of post-its, notes on your calendar or phone app, or your email inbox.

If that sounds complicated, think about starting a master task list, and then you only have to "gather" one thing🙂.

If you store things in your memory😞 get a second piece of paper, and spend a few minutes writing them down.

Read each item from each location.

For each, ask "Is this something I should complete or start to work on this week"?

If it is, add it to your sheet of paper.

If an item will take an hour or more, consider putting an "appointment with yourself" on your calendar, or what is now commonly referred to as a time block.

That's it. 

Now you have a list of things to do for the week that are likely to be more important than the method of picking at random throughout the day.

If you would like to order the tasks on the paper by priority, please do.  If you have run out of juice, don't.

Instead, just select the tasks that you want to do on Monday.  Keep the list short - you can always do more if you have time.   Repeat that selection process every day. (For help, see The daily task plan: how to pick your MIT's).

Will you get them all done? Possibly not.

Actually, probably not. But as you repeat this process over time you will get better and choosing a more realistic amount of work to fit the available time.

There are other things you can add to make your plan even more effective, but that's for another day.

Yes? No? Maybe so? Ideas for thinking about whether to say yes or no to new work.

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful, lest you let other people spend it for you.   - Carl Sandburg

Next week, I'm facilitating a session at a national meeting about the ins and outs of deciding when to agree (or not to agree) to take on new work.

It's a topic I know well from many years  - actually, decades - of saying "yes" more often than I should have.

While the ideas are top of mind, I wanted to share them here.  

The process has two pieces:  making a decision and then sharing it with the asker. 

I'm going to focus on the first part here.   The better your decision-making process, the better your decisions, and, the easier it it to say "no" when you need to. 

Between the ask and the response, there is space - use it!

You may recognize this as a play on "Between stimulus and response, there is space"  from Stephen Covey's book First Things First.

As  the responder, you have a say in the length of that "space."   

If you respond right away, you may be handing over control of the decision to the "fast thinking" emotion-based part of your brain rather than allowing time for your "slow-thinking" executive function to weigh in.

Some of the emotion-based reasons that may lead to a "bad yes" are guilt, people pleasing, and fear of disappointing the asker.  Or fear of the consequences if you say no.

So, don't respond immediately.  Give yourself time to think it through.

BTW, It's okay to ask for more time!  Just say you need some time to consider whether you have the bandwidth to do the thing well.

Then say when you'll get back in touch.  Wait at least 24 hours - or more for big asks.  

Consider this moral framework.

Speaking of bandwidth.  A "yes" is a promise.  If you make a promise and don't have the time to do it properly, that's a problem.  That is, by saying yes, you have created a moral obligation to follow through. The only other morally acceptable choice is to let the asker know as soon as you discover you can't do the work, either to renegotiate terms or apologize.  If you fail to come through over and over, your reputation will suffer, as will your own sense of integrity.

Whew!  Heavy!  

But for me, this was a revelation.  Understanding this framework has made my decisions to say no much easier.  It was not all about me, me, me, but rather about my integrity and need to do the right by the asker.   And sometimes, the right thing is to say "no."  

Is it your turn?

As members of a family, work group, or institution, we are all responsible for contributing.

This can be tricky.  Some people get asked more than others for a variety of reasons:  they like doing the thing, they do it well, they usually agree, or, nefariously, because of implicit bias that leads women and people of color to get asked more often for certain duties that may not add to their resume.

(To read more about this - in fact, a whole book - get The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women's Dead-End Work by Linda Babcock and her colleagues. Although the focus is on women in academics, the strategies will be useful to anyone who finds themself being asked more often than their colleagues to volunteer for not-so-important duties.)

You can also set up a priori limits on commonly requested activities. ("No more than 2 manuscript reviews per month,: or  "only one classroom-parent stint per month.") If you get asked after your limit is reached, you can say "no," confident that it is "not your turn." 

But if, after considering all this, it really is your turn, figure out if you can make the time to say yes.

Don't decide in a "self-interest vacuum."

I used to do this all the time.  The new work would sound really interesting, but I failed to realize I would have to shoehorn it in among all the other commitments I already had. 

"Wait," you might be thinking, " 'self-interest' sounds a lot like 'selfish'."    If that's you, please go back to the top, re-read Carl Sandburg's advice, and then just above to review the moral framework.

Now that we are on the same page, here are questions to help you assess the interest and time "fit" of the new ask.

• Does this thing fit with your interests and/or goals?
• Is there something else you will get from doing this that is valuable, like learning a new skill or expanding your network?
• How heavy is your current workload? Is there really time to do this new thing? If you're not sure, make a list of everything you are doing.  (If that sounds horrifying, you already know the answer...)
• Don't be fooled by "the empty future calendar" bias.   This happens when the deadline is distant, and your calendar at that time looks open.  Better to assume you will be just as heavily scheduled then as you are now.

If you decide this thing really is something you want to do, but you don't appear to have the time:

• Is there anything you currently do that you could give up, delegate, or defer to later?  
• If your boss is asking, can you negotiate about some of your current work?

Get the information you need to make a good decision. 

How much time is this likely to take.  Is there a clear endpoint? Would you need more resources to do it? Is there any flexibility in the deadline? Who else will be involved?

Then ask those questions of the asker, and, if its possible, someone who has done it before.

Consult with trusted peers or mentors.

This is especially helpful if the request is a big one, or if it comes from someone with whom you want to maintain a good relationship, or if you are early in your career and need a broader perspective.

Consult your gut!

"The hallmark of a decision in line with one's character is ease and contentment and an ample, even provision of natural energy." - Anne Truitt, Turn: the Journal of an Artist

I suggested earlier that certain feelings may lead you to say yes when you should not.  

But your feelings do play an important role when it's time to make the final decision.  For example, you may have experienced buyer's remorse when a decision to buy seemed so right and later felt so wrong. 

You can literally flip a coin to help tap into your feelings and intuitions about the decision. 

Assign "yes" to one side of the coin and "no" to the other.  Flip the coin.  

How do you feel about the decision that is revealed?  Do you feel relief or disappointment for a "no?" Does a "yes" lead to "ease and contentment and... energy" or stomach-turning anxiety?  

I know this sounds like a transparent trick, but it actually works!

And finally, if it's a big decision, write about it! Don't just think! The act of writing will lead to questions, feelings, and reasons that you might otherwise miss.

My New Year's treat: One practice that helps you keep on top of your work.

1 

My new year's advice.

On January 11 - at the right time for new year's resolutions -  I posted this: 

If that advice is enough, stop reading and try it!  If not, read on.

2

The theory.

Your "to-dos" will always be way more than you can do in a week.

By making a plan you can pick the best things to do.

3

Want more direction? 

One of my coaching clients contacted me recently with this question:

Hi Susan,

I wanted your advice about creating goals or a schedule for the week, such as what you want to accomplish that week. I've been following Cal Newport since we worked together, and I'm working on my time-blocking for the day.

However, I struggle to get a "big picture" look at the week, or it comes to the end of the week, and I realize I made no progress on something I wanted. I feel like making a weekly plan is something I should do, but I'm unsure where to start. 

Thanks, Steven (NHRN!)

My response:

Steven, 

 The core practices are to review and update your calendar and todo lists (for me, my project and master task lists), and then select some high-priority work to fit into the week.

Here's a checklist to help you get started....

 

The checklist

The calendar

• Add any scheduled events that did not get recorded. 

• Look at each scheduled event, and ask:
• Do I need to prepare in advance?
• Do I have all the information I need (meeting location, zoom link, phone phone number, the agenda, the plane tickets)?

• Add up the unscheduled time during work hours.  Assume that at least half of that time will be needed for routine work and interruptions.  The remaining amount is the most time you will have for project work and other important tasks. 

The project list

• Read through your project list and pick the ones you want to work on in the coming week. Consider deadlines, importance, and the available time you just estimated.

• For each selected project, write a few sentences about what you want to accomplish.  I learned this method from Cal Newport, and I find that this narrative format helps my thoughts flow so that end up with a better plan than when I just make bullet points. 

• For each project, create at least one task and/or schedule a time block.

The task list

• Read through your task list and adjust as needed: delete completed tasks, revise unclear tasks, and add new tasks that you think of. 

• Select critical tasks for this week and move them to the top in your list app.  (Or if you're on paper, write a weekly list).  

4

Feeling some resistance?

You're in good company!  Most everyone does.

Recently, as I was extolling the virtues of the weekly review and plan to a client, she interrupted me to ask:  "How long does this take?  I have so much to do..."

My answer:

"You can do the core process I've described in about 30 minutes, or less.

Do you have 30 minutes sometime between Friday noon and Monday morning?"

But for the real answer, I'll defer to Frank Bettger:

"It is surprising how much I can get done when I take enough time for planning, and it is perfectly amazing how little I get done without it."

----Frank Bettger, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, 1947

The daily task plan: how to pick your MITs

I’ve written before about the benefit of making a short daily list of high-priority tasks that you will aim to do in addition to your regular work and before other items on your master to-do list.  This type of list is sometimes referred to as a “Most Important Task” list (MIT).   

In that original post, I gave a short list of criteria to help you pick your MITs.  Since then, I’ve added a few more, so an update is due. 

Three criteria by way of Captain Obvious. 

Tasks related to your high-priority work.

    Examples: 

• Drafting the discussion for a paper.
• Finalizing arrangements for the conference you are organizing. 
• Revising the PowerPoint slide deck for next week’s talk.

Tasks that have a "hard" external deadline of today.

    Examples: 

• Today is the last day to submit the application for a leadership program.
• Your VISA bill is due today and you don’t want your credit rating to suffer by being late.

Tasks that you have promised someone you will do by today.

    Examples:

• Bake brownies for the first-grade class.
• Send comments on the manuscript.
• Really, anything you have promised to do, and there is no longer time to renegotiate your agreement.

Two criteria that are not so obvious.

Tasks that start a chain of events leading to an important outcome later.

    Examples: 

• Sending your travel expense to get reimbursement more quickly so that you can minimize credit card interest 
• Starting the IRB application process at the beginning of a project, even though approval will not be needed for several months.
• Emailing your friend in North Dakota to see if she will be there when you visit the area in 3 months.

Tasks that will prevent the need to do something else over and over in the future. 

    Examples:    

• I recently took the time to research, install and set up the Calendly app, which allows my coaching clients to set up sessions on their own. Now I save the time I used to spend going back and forth by email to find times to meet and then creating outlook invites and zoom links.  I’m so happy!
• Taking the time to delegate a task to someone else so that you don’t have to do it anymore.

One criteria that may be controversial, but I stand by it!

Tasks you have been putting off that you are so stressed about you don’t think you can focus on anything else. 

• Once I do such a task, I can peacefully move on to the "real" important stuff.
• The risk: Using as an excuse to do a series of tasks that are small or easy that you are not stressed about so that you never get to the rest of the MIT’s.
• The rule:  You only get to put one of these in the MIT list per day!

Not motivated? Try the assembly line approach.

Last week I looked at my task list for the day and then looked away.

I just didn’t feel motivated.

But I had a backup plan!

I returned to the list and set a goal of completing the entire thing.

To get started, I read the first task and then worked through it until completed.

Then I went to the second one on the list and did the same thing.

And so on, in the order listed, until every task was complete.


Why did this work?

I knew that if I took action, no matter how slight (in this case, simply reading the task),  my “motivation” would return.

It’s the cognitive equivalent of Newton’s second law: “A body in motion remains in motion.”

Taking action is what leads to motivation, not the other way around.


I call this strategy the “assembly line” approach. It is my nearly no-fail way to work when I don’t feel like doing anything or when I’m avoiding specific tasks.


How does this work?

Think about how a real manufacturing assembly line works.

The outcome of an assembly line is a product: a car, bottles filled with ketchup, and so on. A switch that turns on the moving belt has to be flipped to “on.” Once the belt starts, the unfinished product moves down the line to the next station to be worked on. 

My task completion assembly line has these same components:

First, I decide on a product, usually a defined batch of tasks to complete.

Then I take an action that switches my mindset from “not working” to “working.”

When I complete an item, I use a predetermined rule to move to the next one without having to think.


Step 1. Define your product

A “product” for this method is a completed batch of work.

I use this method for any kind of batched work, including a short list of tasks, new mail messages, email messages I have been avoiding, phone calls, routine paperwork, and clearing up papers haphazardly strewn around my workspace.

Step 2: Take action to "turn on" working.

When I am unmotivated, I need an initial action that requires no thinking—akin to flipping the “on” switch for the assembly belt.

 
Pick something for which you feel no resistance at all. In my task list example above, my first task was to continue revising this post! My no-resistance action was to copy and paste the text I had already written in Evernote (my note-taking app) into Scrivener (the app I use for final drafting).

I use a variety of these no-resistance actions. Among them: copying my last paragraph to start work on a writing project, opening the app I need, moving from the kitchen to my home office, or setting my Pomodoro app timer.

Each of these signals to my brain that it’s time to work.


Step 3. Decide on a method to move from one item to the next.

Mark Forster first introduced this idea by recommending the use of a "mechanical" method to decide what task on your list you to do next.

This eliminates the time spent ruminating (in my case at least) about “What’s the very best next task?”

When working from a task list, I just go to the next task on the list.

(Here’s another example. Close your eyes, put your finger on the list - best done on paper! - and do the task you are touching. Or put the list on a dart board, and have at it!)


Here is my assembly line process for four kinds of work to give you some ideas.

Tasks

Product: Tasks on a defined list completed. For example, my “MIT” list (the 3 most important tasks for the day) or a set of tasks I have been putting off.

On switch: Reading the first task

Mechanical rule: Go to the next task on the list.


Papers strewn about my workspace

Product: All the papers in the stack handled (recycled, filed, added to my task list, or the required task completed).

On switch: Gather the papers into one stack, and pick up the top one.

Mechanical rule: Take the next paper on the stack.


New email messages

Product: Empty inbox (all messages deleted, filed, replies made, or marked to come back to later).

On switch: Open my email app.

Mechanical rule. Start with the most recent message and then go to the very next one.


So really, who needs motivation when you have a method!

Updated article on email management!

The email management article posted on this website was written c.2016.

Recently I realized that although my basic recommendations have not changed, some of the details have.

(Drum roll..................)

The updated version. 

To pique your interest, these are the four sections:

1. Strategies for reducing email distraction.
2. A method for processing new messages.
3. A folder system for storing messages related to current projects and events.
4. Tips for composing better email messages.

And if you missed them, here are my posts addressing specific email problems:

 Some thoughts on preventing email backlogs.

A method for responding to emails you have deferred.

Want to spend LESS time on email?  Give it MORE attention!

FAQ: How do I deal with expectations that I will instantly respond to incoming emails?

and finally, although this is not just about email...

"Do I need to get caught up before I can make changes?"

That's all folks! 

(This sign-off is a "generation test."  Do you know the original?)   

The shadow side of making a Plan B

I'm going to France next week for a vacation!

But I'm not trying to make you jealous. Instead, while planning for the trip, I learned an important lesson I want to share in case it will help you.

For the last year, anyone flying to the United States had to have a negative Covid test to board the plane.  If positive, you would be stranded for at least a week.

Being "stranded" in France actually sounds lovely! But, there would be hassles. Lodging, arranging another test, new plane reservations, extending our dog's stay at the kennel. Not to mention re-arranging everything already planned for that time back home.

I became pretty anxious about this possibility. I may have even lost some sleep.

I needed a Plan B.

        

Plan B:  "a strategy or plan to be implemented if the original one proves impracticable or unsuccessful."

The original plan was to get on a plane to depart from France. A positive Covid test would make that plan "unsuccessful."

For the next several weeks, I gathered the information needed for the plan. But, the worrying did not stop.

On June 10, I decided enough was enough and spent four hours finalizing a plan. I finished at 12:13 pm.

At 12:15 pm., I jumped back on the web to check out one more detail.

What greeted me was a New York Times "breaking news" headline. The Covid test requirement was to be dropped the next day.

I was thrilled! But then...

I started thinking about all the worrying I had done. 

Had the time I spent on the plan been worth it?

All this thinking helped me understand the dynamics of making a Plan B.

The upside 

If the original plan goes awry, instead of scrambling to make a plan from scratch in the heat of the moment, you can plan calmly, with the benefit of time and access to needed resources. 

Having a Plan B gives you confidence in your ability to move forward even if the original plan goes off course.

The shadow side

You have guessed it: Worry.

Worry (n).  “A state of anxiety over actual or potential problems.  As in, ‘he's demented with worry’.”

That was me. Demented. The more I worked on the plan, the more worried I got.

And then I thought of an additional dynamic: superstition.

Have you ever said, "I think I'll take an umbrella so it won't rain?"

My rational self knows this is a superstition, but another part of my brain believes it. I always take the umbrella.  It's not much of a leap to "If I have a plan for this Plan A  problem, it won't happen."

Superstition feeds the need for frantic planning. 


Ideas for dealing with the shadow side.

A little worrying provides motivation for planning. Incessant worrying is counterproductive.

The trick is to learn how to make a plan without continuing to worry.

I won't claim that it's always easy... But changing your "self-talk" (as used in cognitive therapy) can help.

Perhaps something like this for worry:

" I know things seldom work out exactly as expected, and most of the time, nothing bad happens."

"This worried feeling is letting me I need to plan. Any more worrying is of no use at all."

If mere superstition is driving my planning:

"I cannot control the future by planning. There is no plan I can make, no matter how elaborate, that can prevent things from going wrong."

However, - and this is very cool! - it turns out that there is a benefit to following some superstitions! (I thought this merited two exclamation points - actually three!)

From the psychologist and cognitive scientist Stuart Vyse:

"There is evidence that positive, luck-enhancing superstitions provide a psychological benefit that can improve skilled performance. There is anxiety associated with the kinds of events that bring out superstition.

The absence of control over a vital outcome creates anxiety. So, even when we know rationally that there is no magic, superstitions can be maintained by their emotional benefit."

Who knew!

How to make a Plan B.

• Do it writing.  (Typing allowed!)
  
• Do a risk assessment of your Plan A.

• What could go wrong?
• What is the likelihood of each?
• Which things, even if unlikely, would have the most negative impact on the outcome.  

• For each likely event and each unlikely but significant adverse impact event, make an if-then plan:  

IF  this happens, THEN I will do this. 

• Put the plan in a place that will be accessible when you need it.
• Monitor your emotions and use self-talk to avoid excessive worry and superstition.

Post Script

You may be wondering if the time I spent planning was wasted.

No!

A plan B can be helpful even if the exact thing you were thinking about doesn't happen.

For the France trip, one of us could get symptomatic Covid and not be able to fly. If that happens, I can pull the plan out.

In other situations, you may do something you will do again. I have a Plan B for when I travel by air to give professional presentations. By now, I know by heart. Whenever there is the hint of a disrupted flight, my plan is ready to go.

Au revoir!

Try this "day of pain and suffering!"

"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task." - William James

If you are like me, your to-do list can get really long.

With so many urgent and important tasks on our plates, how can we ever get to our backlog of undone work?

One recommendation is to delete tasks that are not done after a preset amount of time has passed. One author suggested giving yourself only 7 days.

Yikes!

I don't know about you, but for me, that would be a recipe for disaster. I have tasks I still need to do even after seven months have passed.

I learned a method from Thanh Pham that has been effective for me. Thanh is the founder of the excellent productivity training company Asian Efficiency. (Do check out their offerings!)

Thanh and his colleagues schedule a full day to reduce their task backlogs. They call this day "Doomsday," because it feels like it will be a "day of pain and suffering."

Are you hooked yet? 😉

I have used this method for several years, and find it transformative!

How can this be? Like Thanh, I begin my day with the expectation of pain and suffering.

But when it is over, this is what I actually get:

• An updated, current task list.
• An immediate boost of energy.
• Readiness to tackle the important projects on my plate.

Tynan, another blogger I follow, describes it like this:

"These things have to get done, and it's nice to bring them to a close for their own rewards, but the real benefit is how smoothly everything else goes afterwards. What a feeling it is to work on a big project with no collection of minor tasks nagging in the back of your mind."

An added benefit: finding tasks that are on the brink of turning into emergencies.

Years ago, I received a routine reminder to renew my medical license within the next 3 months. Because this was usually a 5-minute online task, I waited until the day before the deadline.

Alas!

The very last question asked for the date of my recertification in dependent and child abuse.

Hmmm... I had not recertified.  

I had until the next day to get this done. I located the 2-hour video training, watched it, completed the post-test, and waited for the CME office to send my official certificate. Miraculously I had a free schedule that day and was able to pull it off.

But, lesson learned.

The mechanics

I recommend an "assembly line" approach. This eliminates the need to think about what to do next.

• Get out your list.
• If you can order the items from oldest to newest, do that.
• Read the first (oldest)  item, and complete it.
• Go to the next item, and do the same.
• And so on until the time is up.

FAQs

How often should I do this?

The simple answer is "often enough to avoid big backlogs."

You can schedule a regularly recurring time - I'd recommend at least every 3 months. Or do an ad hoc session when your list feels overwhelming.


Do I have to do a full day?

No.

If you can do a full day, you will of course get more done.

But, even a 2 or 3-hour session is beneficial.


What counts as "done?"

Does this seem obvious? If you have done the required work and crossed off or deleted the list item, it's "done!"

But two other outcomes also count.

• Great when it happens: You decide you don't need to do this task. Delete it!

• More often: The "task" is actually a series of tasks.

If you have time for the whole thing, go ahead. But more likely, you won't.

 Instead, pick the next thing you can do to move this item forward. Once you have done that, you are "done" for today. Replace the original item with the next thing you must do to finish this work, and take that up later.

Can I minimize the development of backlogs?

Yes, you can!

One option is to spend a little time every day taking care of small tasks.

Dianna Wiest, for example, recommends allocating up to one hour a day for this purpose. The hour can be all at once, or, a minute here, 5 minutes there as you have free moments between other work sessions.

A similar method, recommended by many productivity consultants, is to Do It Now!

David Allen (Getting Things Done) formulates this approach as "the two-minute rule." Any new task that you estimate will take no more than 2 minutes should be done immediately. (If you are wrong, just stop and add to your list. If you were right, you've avoided one more item on your list.)

What you can do next

If your lists feel too long, schedule a two-hour session and see how far you get.

If you find that helpful, plan another session soon to do more.

Then, if you find this method helpful, make a future plan using one or both of these triggers:

Schedule a recurring day or half-day
When your list feels too long, do an ad hoc session

Remember, this "doomsday" experience is not at all about pain and suffering!

Some thoughts on preventing email backlogs

Have you ever put off responding to an email for longer than you should?

Is there anyone that has never done this?  

I recently described a method for eliminating a backlog of deferred emails. (Make a list of the messages, and then plow through them in assembly-line fashion.)

This works, but wouldn’t it would be better to avoid backlogs?

I still let backlogs develop more often than I would like. I recently wondered about whether other people have this problem - which I suspected was true. And, what types of messages trigger a “non-response.”

So I asked my next client Amelia if she had a problem with deferring email responses. She gave a resounding “YES!”

And, she immediately rattled off these six messages types that cause her trouble:

• The requester is asking about something that is not part of her job.
• The message looks long and/or complex, and she avoids reading it.
• She can’t tell what the sender wants.
• She thinks the response will take a long time to write.
• She plans to say “No,” to a request but is uncomfortable saying so.
• She thinks that her response will unleash an avalanche of back and forth messages, or, as I call it, the “ping pong” effect!

I thought "Wow - these all are on my list as well!"

At that moment, the idea for this post was born

Not So Fast!

"Isn't it OK to defer responding to some messages?”

Yes!

The most common reason is that you are not yet prepared to respond, because you need to do something else first. You and your partner are invited to dinner next Wednesday, and you need to check with them. You are asked for input on a manuscript, and you have to read it and add your suggestions. You are asked for a decision, and you have to do some research and think. And so forth.

If I need more than a day or two, I usually send a brief message to say when I will get back.

Here, we are discussing procrastination: “to be slow or late about doing something that should be done.”

So, when does a legit deferral change into “it's been too long?” I can just feel it. 

I bet you can too.

Now, back to the coaching session.

For the rest of the session, Amelia and I talked about ways she could overcome her six “deferred response” triggers.  Here is what we came up with.

1 . The requester is asking about something that is not part of her job.

Hurray!  She should pass on the message to the correct person. 

I sometimes obsess over how I could take care of the request so that I don’t have “bother” someone else. If it is their job, it's not a bother!


2. The message looks long and/or complex, and she avoids reading it.

The only option is to dive in and soldier through. Sometimes it can help to skim the message to see if there is a clear “ask.” If there is, that will help her make sense of the rest of the message.


3. She can’t tell what the sender wants.

I recommended that she immediately write back to clarify. Sometimes you have an idea but aren’t sure. If so, say something like “I think you want the reports from 2017 and 2018, but I want to make sure that is correct.”


4. She thinks the response will take a long time to write.

I suggested three options :

• My “go-to” approach is to immediately write a quick “bad draft” of what I am thinking I might say, either by hand or in a note app. (You can also do it in the "reply" screen, taking care not to accidentally hit "send!")

Most of the time I find that this draft only needs a little editing to be ready. Otherwise, I discover what I need to do next, for example, more thinking or research, or other tasks before I can reply. In either case, I have a path forward.

• Make a phone call or schedule a meeting, so that you can clarify and answer questions in real-time. 

• For frequent requests, I recommended creating template responses. Both Outlook and Gmail have an option to save templates for future use.

5. She plans to say “No,” to a request, but is uncomfortable saying so.

Usually, this is when the requester is someone we want to have a good relationship with. Whole books have been written about how to decide when to say “no,” which was outside the scope of our session that day.

What I did suggest is that once she has decided, she should not dally in sending her response. The sender needs to move on and find someone else!

I shared a method I developed for another client who gets frequent invitations to give talks at other institutions. She knows she can't agree to every request, because of the time taken away from her own work. But she puts off the reply because it is painful.

We crafted a template that conveyed “thanks very much, this sounds like a great project, I value our relationship, but I won’t be able to do it this time.” When it’s time to say “no,” the template makes it easier to get started.

I suggested to Amelia that if she gets frequent requests for something she never wants to do, she could also make a (firm but polite) template for those as well.


6. She thinks that her response will unleash an avalanche of back and forth messages - the “ping pong” effect!

Again, three options:

• Just because she replied immediately does not mean she has to reply immediately again. If there is going to be a significant delay, write back saying “I’ll get back to you tomorrow,” or whatever is true.

• Pick up the phone (or schedule a meeting).

• Take Cal Newport’s advice, and instead of asking open-ended questions, make a proposal.

For example, instead of: “Would you like to have lunch next week?” Try this: “Would you like to have lunch next week? If so, what about Tuesday at noon at the India Café on Iowa Ave.? If the day, time or restaurant don’t work for you, send me another plan that works for you.”

7. And one more, from my list: The “3 tireds:”

Tired of this email string with John

Tired of John

Just plain tired…

The key feature of the “tireds” is that you know what you want to say, but you just can’t get yourself to say it. Because you are tired. It's emotional/energetic, not a lack of knowing what you want to say.

The solution? Recognition that this is the problem. Then, you can choose to either plow through with the response, or, take a break and come back later the same day.

What you can do next.

Before you defer a reply, stop and ask yourself why you want to do it. Do you need to prepare before responding, or, are you procrastinating?

If it’s procrastination, see if one of the suggested approaches will help you move forward.

If it’s something else, see if you can come up with your own plan to try.

A method for responding to email messages you have been putting off.

When I opened my email one morning recently, staring back at me were eight messages needing responses that I had been putting off for several days. I have a pretty strong habit of emptying my inbox, and yet, I could not make myself do these.

Has this ever happened to you? Or maybe a better question, is there any one of you who has never had this happen?

The list of reasons we put off email responses is long, but among them include replies that we think will take more time than we have, that will be difficult because we plan to say something the sender may not like hearing, and messages that are not clear about what is being asked.

On that particular morning, I decided that I could not move on to upcoming holiday preparations until I had finished those messages.

I decided to use a method that was shared by a workshop participant recently.

The method:

• On a piece of paper make a list of the senders to whom you owe a response.
• Put a check box in front of each one.
• After each name, add notes about the points you make in the reply

The formula: checkbox + sender name + response notes

• Open the first message on the list and respond.  Then do the second one, and so on in order.
• When the list is all checked off you are done!
• Then, take a moment to feel great.

Why I think this method works.

The list is a "closed" list. That is, it is a list that cannot get longer, only shorter each time you send a reply. Closed lists (an idea from Mark Forster in his book Do It Tomorrow) are motivating because there is a concrete finish line. (If you are thinking the closed list sounds familiar, perhaps you are recalling my post on the daily MIT list - also a closed list!).

The list is outside the chaotic stressful arena of the email inbox. By creating the list outside the inbox you can focus just on those messages, rather than being distracted by the new emails pouring in.

Responding to messages in the order they appear on the list creates an assembly line approach that is both faster and less stressful than the usual way: finishing a message, then looking around to select which one to do next. In other words, you eliminate thinking time and instead just work. (BTW, I use the assembly line method when processing new email messages as well.)

Making notes about the response gets you away from the "perfect response" mode that email can bring out. We often feel as if once we have started typing, we must commit to the words we have written. The fear of doing it wrong leads to a kind of writer's block. Being able to make notes outside of the email frees you to think freely - much as a rough draft does in the case of any writing project. In fact, the mere act of writing down the person's name usually triggers, for me, ideas about how I might respond.

So that's it. Next time you find yourself with unanswered messages that you have been putting off, give this a try.

In case you are wondering if this is intended to be my New Year's message...

Yes, it is. What better way to start out the new year than cleaning out the "clutter" of emails you have been putting off!

However, for something deeper, read my favorite time management philosopher Oliver Burkeman's post "Wisdom for the end of the year."

P.S. Why your master running task list is so long, and why it doesn't matter

In my last blog, I waxed eloquently about the virtues of the master running task list. I stand by everything I wrote.

But I failed to address one important issue that often causes people to avoid or give up on this method:

"The list will be so long."

So this is a postscript to explain why that is, and why it does not matter.

So first the facts. 

Your master list will be long.  David Allen, of Getting Things Done fame, says his master list typically exceeds 100 items. Today my list has 102.

But here's the thing. Your list will be only as long as all the work you've agreed to do!

Not putting tasks on the master list does not make the tasks go away. Putting them on the list does force you to face the reality of how much you have taken on.  

This leads to another benefit of a master list: If you decide you have taken on too much, you are all set to prune.  (A topic for another day.)

The good news: You'll never need to do everything on the list.

You will be thinking "What? (or something more colorful...) I thought the master list was supposed to include all the tasks that I have committed to do?"

Correct, but with one important "rider:" All the tasks you have committed to do at the time you recorded them."

You are saved from doing them all by reality. Your priorities, day-to-day work requirements, and life situation are constantly changing, and thus your task commitments must necessarily change as well.

Last week you were committed to buying an electric car. You create a list of tasks related to finding a dealer, exploring financing options, followed by the purchasing process. This week, you discover that due to a computer chip shortage it may be years before these cars are available. Because you need a car now, you instead buy a used 2016 Subaru Outback with low mileage. (If this sounds like a true story, it is!)

Last month, you planned to grow a sourdough starter from scratch. Yesterday you discover that a family member does not like sourdough. (Also true...)

In essence, the master list is a database of all the tasks you think you will do, based on current conditions. This means a functional master list requires regular review and updates. Weekly would be ideal.

You use the list as a database from which to select the tasks you will do in real-time, such as this week or today.

Oliver Burkeman, my current favorite time management thinker, describes this interplay this way:

"...Keep two to-do lists, one "open" and one "closed." The open list is for everything that's on your plate and will doubtless be nightmarishly long. Fortunately, it's not your job to tackle it: instead feed tasks for the open list to the closed one - that is, a list with a fixed number of entries, ten at most. The rule is that you can't add a new task [to the closed list] until one's completed... You'll never get through all the tasks on the open list - but you were never going to in any case, and at least this way you'll complete plenty of things you genuinely care about." (Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, p. 256).

If it has just occurred to you that the daily MIT List is such a closed list, you are correct!

So don't pay any attention to the length of your master running task list. Instead, focus on the relief of not having to remember anything and the benefit of having the full list of task options from which to pick the best ones to do now.

Call to Action: (every blog is supposed to have one, but mine often don't....)

Start your master running list!

• Begin by taking some time to record every task you can think of, as well as any already listed in some other location.
• As new tasks occur to you:
•  If you can do them immediately, do that. 
• If you can't, record the task on your master list.
• Review the list regularly, examining each item in light of your current situation. Revise or remove items as appropriate.
• Use the list to select the actual work you will do in the near term - during the week, and each day.

And, discover Oliver Burkeman!!

• Read his blog posts. If you like them, subscribe to get the new ones delivered to your doorstep... well, email inbox. 

• Consider reading his new book, Four Thousand Weeks: time management for mortals.

Is your task list a repository of stress?

"My to-do list is a repository of stress," Julian announced in his first coaching session.

I was taken aback because my own to-do list has been my life-preserver for over 20 years. But then I thought about the many workshop participants and clients who have said the same thing, albeit not so memorably.

Why was something that worked so well for me failing so many others?

I re-wound the mental video of my own productivity journey back to the beginning, 20 odd years ago.  One of the first books I read was Jeffrey Mayer's 1990 book, If you haven't got the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over? #BestBookNameEver.

His recommendation: Use a "master running task list."   

I adopted this approach then, and have continued it ever since, through four different jobs, and several "tool" changes.  

And, I realized that very few people have this kind of list.  And thus, this post, to acquaint you with the basics of such a list.

Key features of  a master running task list: 

• This list contains tasks, that is, things you plan to do.  It's not a 5-year goal list, bucket list, or Netflix series you might binge-watch list.

• The list is called a master list because it contains all your tasks. Some tasks are "stand-alone" (call the dentist for an appointment). Others are part of a project (email Molly to schedule a meeting to plan our research project). They are all on the same list. #RedundancyIsSometimesHelpful

• The list is "running." Add new tasks and cross them off when completed. No need to re-write the list. (The only exception is periodic "compression" if you have a paper list, as described shortly.)

As Mayer says, the master list is "an inventory of all your unfinished work." 

A master running task list solves two common todo list problems:

• Multiple lists in different locations. The results? Lost or ignored lists. Not having the "correct" list when you need it.

• Incomplete lists. You record some of your tasks and depend on your memory for others. The results? A pervasive feeling that you are missing something. And, indeed, you will!

As David Allen reminds us, “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

 When I started, I followed Mayer's instructions to the letter:

• Use lined paper. (I used an 8/11" legal pad; I've since switched to an app.)
• One item per line.
• Use every line.
• Draw a line through completed tasks. (Wimpy marginal checkmarks not allowed!)
• When you get to the last line on a page, go to the next and continue entering new tasks.
• When half or more of the tasks are completed, "compress" the list. Tear out the page and add any undone tasks to the end of the list.   (If using a digital app, just delete, or, "hide" completed tasks.)

Note that the list does not need to be prioritized - you set your priorities when you plan your weeks and days.

Quick FAQ:  Does having a "single" list mean you have to mix personal and professional items?

Only if you want to!   (In the sample list above, I marked the Home items with an "H.")

If you want to keep them separated - which most people prefer -  you have two options.

• Use a single tool (e.g. one notebook or app), but divide the items into two categories.

• Use different tools. The risk with this approach is that you may work on the items on one of the lists and ignore the other. A solution is to always have both tools in front of you when you do your weekly review and your daily plan.

Your list has to meet your personal needs, functionally and aesthetically.  

• First, pick a "tool." Paper or digital? For either, which of the many options? If you have a tool you like, use that. If not, I recommend starting with a lined paper tool. 

• Then you need to develop the habit of recording every task (that can't be done immediately) in that tool. 

How to use a master running list:

Weekly

• Update the list. Cross off tasks that you have done and tasks that no longer need to be done. Add new tasks that you forgot to add. Compress as described above if most of the items on a page are complete. 
• Identify priorities for the coming week. Mark those tasks in some way. For example, add a checkbox to the margin, or use a highlighter. 

Daily

• Select your 3 most important tasks (MITs).
•  Pick a short list of additional tasks you will do if you have time. 

I'll close with a confession.

Over the last few months, I have had a nagging feeling that my list system had become difficult to use. As I wrote the first draft of this post, I had an "Aha!" moment. My system no longer had a single running master list. I had instead "tweaked" into a collection of lists. 

I stopped working and immediately fixed the problem. 

Now every task is on a single list. My "life preserver" is re-inflated. My system is once again humming along, doing its job of supporting my "getting things done."